Glamorized Exploitation: Visual Images of Meiji-Period "Factory Girls" (jokō)

A visual analysis reveals the stark contrast between glamorized and real depictions of female silk mill workers (jokō) during Japan's Meiji period. Using a collage of a 1900 photograph and an 1877 woodblock print, the study critiques how industrial expositions and media portrayed silk mill labor as idealized, while actual working conditions were far more demanding. The research employs socio-historical methods to dissect representative visual images, exposing the tension between propaganda and reality in Meiji-era sericulture narratives.

Robertson, J. (2022). Glamorized Exploitation: Visual Images of Meiji-Period “Factory Girls” (jokō). Technology and Culture, 63(2), 450–457. https://doi.org/10.1353/tech.2022.0054